Girl wounded in gang shooting still hospitalized

San Diego  A 7-year-old girl who was shot and wounded in front of her Emerald Hills home in a weekend gang-related shooting was expected to spend another day in the hospital, her family said Monday.

Laura Castelo, a first-grader at Johnson Elementary School, was shot in the leg Saturday afternoon and has been recovering at Rady Children’s Hospital.

She was expected to come home Monday but a slight fever is keeping her in the hospital for at least one more day, said her sister, Alexandra Castelo, 15.

Laura, the youngest of three sisters, was hit by a bullet just before 2 p.m. while walking one of her dogs in front of her house on 56th Street at Roswell Street in southeastern San Diego.

Martin Barnett, 21, who was shot twice and was the intended victim, was also hospitalized, said police Lt. William Stetson. Barnett is expected to survive but his condition has not been released.

Alexandra said she was at home in the kitchen when she heard the gunshots and then heard her sister crying.

She ran outside and her father, who was working on the roof, came running.

“We saw her bleeding,” Alexandra said.

The father scooped up Laura, and a cousin called 911.

Alexandra said her parents spent the rest of the weekend at the hospital. “My house has been lonely,” she said.

She said her sister was anxious about walking on her wounded leg.

Alexandra said she has heard of other violent incidents in the neighborhood, but this is the first time it has happened on her street.

Two gang members — Anthony Penn, 18, and a 16-year-old boy who police believe was the shooter — were arrested in connection with the crime, Stetson said. Police did not release the 16-year-old’s name because he is a juvenile.

Stetson said investigators believe the crime was an isolated incident. He said Penn and the 16-year-old live in the neighborhood and had earlier been seen drinking and issuing gang challenges.

They encountered Barnett, who is not believed to be in a gang, and followed him to his home across the street from the Castelo house, where they opened fire, Stetson said.

He said Penn and the 16-year-old face charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and gang charges.

Another shooting in Emerald Hills was reported about 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Someone fired several shots at an occupied house on Alvin Street. Investigators believe it may have been in retaliation for the earlier incident because one of the two arrested had ties to that address, Stetson said. No injuries were reported.

Alexandra said she wants her sister to be with her family who loves her. “I just really want her to come home,” she said.